Members of the world-famous Gracie family and several heralded fighters with Central Ohio ties will collide March 3 during an evening of mixed martial arts fights to be held at Nationwide Arena... More info right here.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - January 18, 2006

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Members of the world-famous Gracie family and several heralded fighters with Central Ohio ties will collide March 3 during an evening of mixed martial arts fights to be held at Nationwide Arena and broadcast nationally on live pay-per-view television.

Head-to-Head:

Relson Gracie, the second-oldest son of the legendary Helio Gracie and the 22-time Brazilian National Champion, and Mark "The Hammer" Coleman, the former national champion wrestler at The Ohio State University who has gained fame as a mixed martial arts fighter, will each bring a team of fighters to Nationwide Arena for a unique head-to-head team match that will pit Team Gracie vs. Team Hammer House in the first-ever Gracie Fighting Championships that will highlight the Friday Night Fights at Nationwide Arena.

"The Gracies are the first family of mixed martial arts, and their revolutionary style of fighting has dominated the sport for decades, and Mark Coleman and his Hammer House team are some of the toughest fighters on the planet, so it will be a treat to see who prevails," said James L. Lorimer, co-producer of the Arnold Sports Festival. "One thing is for sure - Nationwide Arena will be the place to be on March 3."

Joe Frazier To Receive Award:

In addition to the action in the ring, boxing legend Joe Frazier will be on hand to receive the Arnold Classic Lifetime Achievement Award from California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Many other television stars are also expected to be in attendance for the first-ever live Pay-Per-View event to originate from Columbus.

What's Happening?

The Friday Night Fights, Gracie Fighting Championships will be televised nationally live on EVENTS-IN-DEMAND Pay-Per-View, and can be seen on Cable and Satellite and in Canada. The event will also be rebroadcast to millions of views in Europe.

The featured match will pit Team Gracie's Daniel Gracie, the latest Gracie family member to put their revolutionary Brazilian jiu-jitsu style of fighting to use, against Team Hammer House's Wes Sims, a 6-foot-10, 255-pound behemoth from Lancaster, Ohio. Gracie is 3-1 in his brief professional career, while Sims is 8-7; including dominating wins in his last two matches.

The card will also feature at least three other Team Gracie vs. Team Hammer House matches, as well as three special Super Fights that will feature several international fighters. An undercard featuring local fighters will do battle before the live Pay-Per-View event begins at 9 p.m.

The Friday Night Fight Card

Doors Open at 7 p.m.
Fighting Starts at 8 p.m.
Live on Events iN-DEMAND PAY-PER VIEW

Team Hammer HouseCaptain: Mark Coleman

Team GracieCaptain: Relson Gracie

Wes Sims

vs.

Daniel Gracie

Heavy Weight 3/5 min. rounds

Matt Lindland

vs.

Fabio Leopoldo

Middle Weight 3/5 min. rounds

Mike Pyle (Randy Couture)

vs.

Fabricio "Morongo" Cames

Middle Weight 3/5 min. rounds

Forrest Petz

vs.

Daniel Moraes

Welter Weight 3/5 min. rounds

Jon Koppenhaver

vs.

Michael O'Donnell

Welter Weight 3/5 min. rounds

Michael French

vs.

Fredson Pixao

Super Fights:

Dustin Hazelett

vs.

Rhalan Gracie

Middle Weight 3/5 min. rounds

Chris Brennan

vs.

Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro

Welter Weight 3/5 min. rounds

Dan Bobish

vs.

Alexandar Ustinov

Super Heavy Weight 3/5 min. rounds

Under Card:

Carter Williams

vs.

Gary Turner

5/3 minute rounds

Steve Conkel

vs.

Brion Peoples

5/3 minute rounds

Pat Horner

vs.

Phil Cardella

5/3 minute rounds

* Card subject to change

Tickets for the Friday Night Fights, Gracie Fighting Championships at Nationwide Arena are on sale now. Tickets are $100, $65, $55, $40, $30 and $20 and may be purchased at the Nationwide Arena Ticket Office, all Ticketmaster locations, online at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at (614) 431-3600. Tickets are also available at the Blue Jacket Zones located at the Chiller Dublin, Chiller Easton and Chiller North. Doors open at 7 p.m.

The Friday Night Fights, Gracie Fighting Championships is among the many events to be held March 3-5 during the Arnold Sports Festival, the nation's largest sports festival that will bring 120,000 attendees and 15,000 athletes competing in 30 sports to Columbus. The Arnold Sports Festival will be held at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, Nationwide Arena and Veterans Memorial Auditorium. Five free shuttle buses will run nonstop among downtown hotels and the three venues.